A few HDR landscapes that are going to be sold as prints (hopefully)

[Crimsonandwhite]

 

[TriniPhototakeoutta]

cool

 

[BuZzZeRkEr]

These HDR's are pretty good, but a little bit too much noise. Need to touch up the noise in photoshop a little.

 

[BuZzZeRkEr]

They don't really seem as sharp as they can be...maybe too much diffuse glow or gausian blur? More contrast would be nice on the B&W

 

[Crimsonandwhite]

I am hoping some of the unsharpness is coming from these being copied and posted from Facebook. Yea I can see how the noise is going to be an issue. You think that I am going too low on my bottom side exposure and that is where I am picking up that noise?

 

[David84]

Very nice, a lot of HDR's get slack because of the "unrealistic" look to them. As many have said before, it's in the eye of the beholder.... These look very cool to me, can you describe your process, pp included?

#3 looks like a painting....

-David

 

[BuZzZeRkEr]

I am hoping some of the unsharpness is coming from these being copied and posted from Facebook. Yea I can see how the noise is going to be an issue. You think that I am going too low on my bottom side exposure and that is where I am picking up that noise?

You know, I couldn't tell you exactly how to fix it unless I knew your entire HDR processing. You are correct in the fact that facebook manages to mess up pictures.

You are right, going really low on the dark end adds noise...but photomatix give you the tools to correct it using the luminosity, saturation, intensity, and the HI middle low option....of course along with black/white point and gamma correction....but then again I always retouch in PS as well as I can tell you did

You missed a pretty big space in your PP HDR edit with the foot ball player statue. In the negative space you can see a much darker patch of sky. So I am assuming you significantly brightened your picture (or at least the sky) in photoshop and added a dodge and burn vignette to the sky...this can be some reason for your added noise...although I'm not positive because I don't know how you edited your picture, just guessing from experience. If I'm close let me know I might be able to help you out. I love HDR photography!

 

[BuZzZeRkEr]

Looking at them again, the noise might be in result from over sharpening via photoshop action.

 

[Crimsonandwhite]

It's funny that spot was natural like that on the statues. I didnt layer the sky at all, I thought that was weird too. I am noticing a lot of noise right from Photomatix, out of the box. I shot this today and didn't go as far on my bracketing to try and compensate, still noise. So i was reading and I took the HDR image in CS3, layer the HDR over the darkest single exposure and use the white eraser to blend some of that back in. It helped a good bit with the noise, but it took some of the "HDR" out of the shot.

I know one issue is that I have a Canon 40D and it is limited to 3 shot bracketing. I have read where some are using 5, 7, 9, 14 exposures, throwing out the really dark exposures to avoid the noise.

I know what you are saying about the adjustment tools I get in Photomatix, but it seems those tools also take care of the noise but also take a lot of what I like about the photo out too, the "HDR-ness". So I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, do I deal with the noise but get the effect I like, or do I get less effect and less noise?

One resolution to the problem is getting a 5D MarkII Wonder if the wife will go for that

 

[BuZzZeRkEr]

It's funny that spot was natural like that on the statues. I didnt layer the sky at all, I thought that was weird too. I am noticing a lot of noise right from Photomatix, out of the box. I shot this today and didn't go as far on my bracketing to try and compensate, still noise. So i was reading and I took the HDR image in CS3, layer the HDR over the darkest single exposure and use the white eraser to blend some of that back in. It helped a good bit with the noise, but it took some of the "HDR" out of the shot.

I know one issue is that I have a Canon 40D and it is limited to 3 shot bracketing. I have read where some are using 5, 7, 9, 14 exposures, throwing out the really dark exposures to avoid the noise.

I know what you are saying about the adjustment tools I get in Photomatix, but it seems those tools also take care of the noise but also take a lot of what I like about the photo out too, the "HDR-ness". So I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, do I deal with the noise but get the effect I like, or do I get less effect and less noise?

One resolution to the problem is getting a 5D MarkII Wonder if the wife will go for that

Only 3 exposures might be a signifacant issue...I use 5 most of the time. Don't let your camera bracket settings limit you to only 3 exposures, put the puppy in manual mode and bracket your exposure manually if you have to....just set the shutter release timer to 1 second so you don't get shutter release blur even if your using a tripod.

I prefer my HDR's to be more subtle kind of like this example

and this example

You get the idea...

 

[Crimsonandwhite]

Thanks! I do use the 2 second delay on my tripod and I also shoot in Manual, so I am going to go today and put my bracket in 3 different spots and take a total of 9 exposures and see what my results are. Everything that I've been reading says when you only use 3 expousres, Photomatix has to try really hard to pull details from the shadows and uses info that causes noise. Makes a lot of sense. They recommend a minimum of 5 exposures but 7 is preferred. I actually saw a few guys that are using 14 exposures. At this point I will try it all, since I am still learning.

Thanks for sharing your work. I love those! I think anytime a person would be in a HDR type of shot it should be more realistic. I personally love taking shots of buildings and objects and giving them that surreal effect that HDR delivers. Too bad I have a real job and can't work on photography all day

I am still contending to the wife that the 5D Mark II would help, don't tell her about multi exposures please